#because I wholeheartedly understand that this specific demographic (of which I am a part)

[musclesandhammering]

Queer women are the main culprits of fetishising mlm relationships (both real and nonexistent ones), and I think we’re all scared to admit that.

[gunnerpalace]

Hi! Same anon as the previous one. Tbh, I agree wholeheartedly with you. Y'see I do ask rhetorically,too but i could really accept and understand how and why ppl can be oblivious to IchiRuki, and somehow felt that the 'canon' should suffice, even the most excruciating of all is the fact a number found the ending even acceptable (ships aside, too). Again, I could respect that. But it's my greatest bane when ppl ask 'why' and not be clear they are asking rhetorically because I literally will

provide you an actual answer. And I get it, it’s the reason why ppl find shipping wars toxic and silly. But then again, as human, conflicts are always part of us (partly because as social psych explains so, we are gravitated to the negative for that allows us to change and survive), and the reason why “logical fallacies” are coined in the first place. Human will always debate, and argue about something; the only thing we could change is how we approach the opposing views.

Again, I dont condone any way, shape or form of abuse and harm. In some certain extent, I could perhaps understand it’s much harder for some IH to approach the actual argument being there’s either too much noise, and trapped in their own island between sea of salt. Thus becoming too acquianted w/ few IH who shared the same thought until it became their views as the only truth (see, that’s why its important to have debates! it is what keep us grounded and fair! Just like you said)

Who am I to speak though? I never ever challenged anyone anyways. And as you said, you just have to understand things in every way you could possibly think of–endless ‘whys’. Which is where I agree in your reply the most–this silly fandom wars is just the black mirror to every truth that lies beneath human psyche–the dark and the grimy. Heck, being a psych major is like staring at dark hole–at times, good, but most just plain confusing, revolting even or just heartbreaking.

Sorry it’s been long, but for the final of this ask: let me tell how glad I was with IchiRuki fandom I found in tumblr. It was the saltiest I’ve ever been (im not generally a fandom person anyways) but it’s the himalayan salt–expensive and actually nutritive it really deepened my desire to become wiser in general. And you for your wonderful essays, critiques and whatnot. I definitively would love to talk with you more not only about IchiRuki but the wonders and nightmare that us humans! Kudos!

I have sitting in my drafts a post spelling out my thoughts on “canon” (and thus, the people who cling to it) in that as a concept it privileges:

officiality over quality when it comes to validity (thus violating Sturgeon’s law)

corporations (intellectual property rights holders) over fans, and thus capitalists over proletarians

hierarchical dominance over mutualist networking within fandom

curative fandom over transformative fandom

genre over literary content

plot over characters

events over emotions

It is notable that (1) generally degrades art as a whole, (2) generally advances the capitalist agenda, and (3–7) generally advances the dominance of men over women (as the genders tend to be instructed by society to view these as A. dichotomies rather than spectrums, and B. to ascribe gender to them and make them polarities). These form the sides of a mutually reinforcing power structure (in the typical “Iron Triangle” fashion) designed to preserve and maintain the status quo.

Who really benefits from say, the policing of what is or is not “canon” in Star Wars? Disney, first and foremost. And then whomever (almost certainly male) decides to dedicate their time to memorizing the minutiae of whatever that corporation has decided is “legitimate.”

One can imagine a universe in which fan fic is recognized by companies for what it is: free advertising. (Much like fan art already is.) Instead, it is specifically targeted by demonetization efforts in a way that fan art isn’t. Why? Because it demonstrates that corporate control and “official” sanction has no bearing on quality, and it is thus viewed as undermining the official products.

In the same way, by demonstrating that most “canonical” works are frankly shit, it undermines the investiture of fans in focusing on details that are ultimately errata (the events, the plot, the genre), which is the core function of curative fandom and the reason for its hierarchical structure. The people who “know the most” are at the top, but what they “know” is basically useless garbage. And those people so-engaged are, of course, usually male.

To “destroy” the basis of their credibility, and indeed the very purpose of their community, is naturally viewed by them as an attack.

(This is not to say that efforts to tear down internal consistency within established cultural properties are good unto themselves, or even desirable. For example, efforts to redefine properties such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Ghostbusters, for the sake of a identity-politics agenda have largely A. failed as art, B. failed as entertainment, C. failed to attract the supposedly intended audience, and D. failed to advance the agenda in question. Trying to repurpose extant media in the name of culture wars is essentially always doomed to failure unless it is done deftly and gradually.)

(At the same time, this also shows what I was talking about last time, with regard to people seeing whatever they want to see. You will see people complain that Star Trek and Doctor Who didn’t “used to be so political,” which is obviously nonsense. These shows were always political. What changed was how their politics were presented. For example, Star Trek has, since TNG, always shown a nominally socialist or outright communist future, but was beloved by plenty of conservatives because they could [somehow] ignore that aspect of it.)

Of course, almost no one is seriously suggesting that one side of the spectrums outlined above be destroyed, rather merely that a new balance be struck upon the spectrum. But, as we have seen time and again in society, any threat to the status quo, whether that be 20% of Hugo Awards going to non-white male authors or the top income tax rate in America being increased by a measly 5.3% (from 28.7% to 34%… when the all-time high was 94% and for over 50 years it was above 50%) is a threat. This is why, for example, Republicans are out there branding AOC as a “socialist” when her policies are really no different at all from a 1960 Democrat who believed in FDR’s New Deal. (Which they, of course, have also demonized as “socialism.”)

(As an aside, all this ignores the fact that most of the “literary canon” of Western civilization, or at least English literature… is Biblical or historical fan fic.)

And this is when I finally get to my point.

Those people out there who denigrate and mock shippers and shipping, the people who hurl “it reads like fan fiction” as an insult, and so on, are the people who benefit from and enjoy the extant power structure. You will see the same thing with self-identified “gamers” complaining about “fake girl gamers.” Admitting that the hobby has a lot of women in it, and a lot of “casuals,” and is indeed increasingly dominated by “non-traditional demographics” is an affront to the constructed identity of being a “gamer.” They are “losing control.” And they don’t like it.

This exact same sort of population is what the “fanbase” of Bleach has been largely reduced down to through a slow boiling off of any actual quality. Of course they’re dismissive of people who are looking for anything of substance: their identity, their “personal relationship” with the franchise, is founded on a superficial appreciation of it: things happening, flashy attacks, eye-catching character designs, fights, etc.

(What this really boils down to, at heart, is that society at large has generally told men that emotions are bad, romance and relationships of all kinds are gross, and that thinking and reflecting on things is stupid. So of course they not only don’t care about such things, but actively sneer at them as “girly” or “feminine,” which is again defined by society at large as strictly inferior. And this gender divide and misogyny is of course promulgated and reinforced by the powers that be, the capitalists, to facilitate class divisions just like say racism generally is.)

(The latest trick of these corporate overlords has been the weaponization of “woke” culture to continue to play the people off one another all the time. “If you don’t like this [poorly written, dimensionless Mary Sue] Strong Female Character, then you are a racist misogynist!” They are always only ever playing both sides for profit, not advancing an actual ideological position. It is worth noting that there was a push by IH some years ago to define IR as “anti-feminist” for critiquing Orihime for essentially the exact same reasons [admittedly, not for profit, but still as critical cover].)

Which makes it very curious, therefore, that the most ardent IH supporters tend to be women. (Though there are more than a few men, they seem to tend to support it because it is “canon” and to attack it is to attack “canon” and thus trigger all of the above, rather than out of any real investment.) I think there are a number of reasons for this (which I have detailed before) and at any rate it is not particularly surprising; 53% of white women voted for Trump, after all.

What we are really seeing in fandom, are again the exact same dynamics that we see at larger and larger scales, for the exact same reasons. The stakes are smaller, but the perception of the power struggle is exactly the same.

Of course, the people who are involved in these things rarely think to interrogate themselves as to the true dimensions and root causes of their motivations. People rarely do that in general.

Putting all that aside, I’m glad that you have found a place you enjoy and feel comfortable, and thank you for the kind words, although I am not of the opinion that there is anything poignant about the non-fiction I write. It is, as I keep trying to emphasize, all there to be seen. One just has to open their eyes. So, it’s hard for me to accept appreciation of it.

Anyway, don’t feel shy about coming off of anon rather than continuing to send asks. We don’t really bite.

[olivieblake]

Do you have any ill feelings towards people who learn more Pro life than pro choice? (If they just personally don't agree with it but wouldn't condemn someone for going through with it if it wasn't for health reason?) I ask because I struggle with this part of me :( I am pro life but understand abortion can be needed in terms of health. I don't like it to be used as Birth Control, but it someone uses it that way I won't judge them. Though I get hate for my beliefs anyways :(

Oh boy, Anon, I know I’m shouldering a lot of risk by handling this subject on a blog devoted largely to Harry Potter erotica, but back in the depths of my conscience I know that this topic is important enough to be honest about, so here we go; have mercy.

This is what I believe:

Every person (in this case, specifically every woman) has a right to do with her body, her mind, and her spirituality whatever she chooses. You have a right to be pro life. You have a right to embrace that belief wholeheartedly or to struggle with it; you are free to hold your beliefs however you choose. It’s not anyone’s right - especially not mine - to condemn someone for making that choice for herself, whatever it may be.

However, this is my experience: I have worked with a number of social services and public institutions in Los Angeles and Chicago, and from my experience, I believe that abortion in reality is nothing like the belittled form of ‘birth control’ that some conservative politicians claim. In my view, unplanned pregnancies that result in abortion are due to three main factors: 1) that sexual education is severely limited, 2) pregnancies can be economically crippling, and 3) that it is a cultural anomaly for males to shoulder responsibility that comes with an unwanted pregnancy. 

To the first point: in many cases, most people - men and women - are simply not informed about the realities of sex; and why would they be, really, if they’re getting their only information from unreliable sources like the internet (which we all know is full of Fools™, myself included)? Public education in particular is hampered by limitations on what can or can’t be taught, and a girl who is told by a boy she cares about and/or trusts that a condom ‘doesn’t feel good’ or ‘won’t fit my gigantic penis’ might believe those things if nobody teaches her otherwise. 

This leads us to my second point: yes, conceivably there are other options than abortion - adoption, for example - but the cost of medical attention during pregnancy itself is extremely prohibitive, and in a country like the one I live in where insurance is more than a little costly, that’s not an option for most people. If I were to get pregnant right now, I would be in huge trouble. I have a preexisting condition (I’m bipolar) and mr blake does as well (he had brain cancer as a child and several knee surgeries while he played college baseball) which means that without ACA (Obamacare), we wouldn’t have insurance, and as long as that program continues to be in a state of political flux, there’s no telling whether I’d even have it at all in 9 months. 

[Sidebar: as a person with bipolar, I would require constant blood tests during pregnancy because of the medications I would need, because depression and mania in the mother can negatively affect the development of the baby’s immune system. Do you know how much those blood tests alone cost, even without the doctor and the insurance bills and the psychiatrist? Upwards of $900 each round, depending on the medication cocktail, and they’re required at regular intervals during pregnancy. That’s just a side point, of course, in case you didn’t know - because I certainly didn’t until I bothered to find out. Believe me, that’s just one more thing they don’t teach in sex ed class.]

My final point is that our society generally accepts - depending, of course, on the context, the demographics, and the cultural factors - that a pregnant girl is the pregnant girl’s problem, end of story. I hope we can agree that’s not fair - and I want to be clear even as I say that that I unequivocally admire the triumph of the single mother. My mother, in fact, had me out of wedlock and raised me by herself, so I would never, ever say that women are not capable of great things despite the difficulty of pregnancy/child-rearing. All I’m saying is that with the stigma of pregnancy and the difficulty of living on one income - if there is an income at all - means that abortion can be the lesser of two evils; i.e., that the life of the mother is valuable, too, and her right to choose herself is her choice to make.

I know I asked for this can of worms when I casually mentioned that I wished for reproductive rights, but I want to make this clear: whether you personally are pro life or pro choice isn’t the issue. Believing or not believing in abortion is not the issue. The real issue, in my view, is simply that a political system dominated by men has determined that it is their job to ensure that women are not permitted to make that choice for themselves, despite the fact that pregnancy is a two part equation. There are a hundred more arguments I could make about why women should have access to birth control - how, for example, increased access to birth control can help prevent unwanted pregnancies in lieu of better sexual education, thus reducing the need for abortions to begin with - but that’s not what I want. That’s not what I wish for.

This is what I wished for: that someday I can have the certainty of knowing that my vagina and my partner’s penis have the same fundamental rights and freedoms - and that’s literally all I’m asking.

[literallyshookblog]

Late to the Party

Growing up I was definitely sheltered from the majority of pop culture. By no means was my family reclusive or Duggar levels of oppressive. My parents carefully curated what kind of media I consumed. In retrospect, it makes sense why I was not allowed to listen to any Britney Spears besides the first two albums. Eight year old me had no business listening to “I’m a Slave 4 U”-- let alone seeing the music video. So generally the guidelines became that if the artist did not first come from Disney Channel or American Idol I was not allowed to listen to them. The one time I tried to break those rules as a kid was shortly after Hitch came out and I bought “Yeah!” by Usher. Naturally, my older sister tattled on me and I lost access to my pink ipod mini, my most prized possession at the time, for two weeks. After that incident, I adhered to the rules until college.

In high school, I used a different tactic. I went through high school amidst the craze of the Twilight franchise and my peers, besides thirsty Mormons moms, were the target demographic. All of the people who I wanted to be friends with loved the series. When you are a sophomore in high school with literally no friends, study hall presents a special challenge. You can be the weird kid that actually does their homework, or you can be a part of the group and engage in whatever your classmates are talking about. At this point I had not read a page of the books and the movie had not yet come out, but both were already labeled off limits at home. However, I wanted to be a part of the discussion. After my homework was finished each night, the next assignment I gave myself was scouring the internet for details for all things Twilight. I read the plot summaries of the books. I read each and every Entertainment Weekly article pertaining to the movies, which if any of y’all remember that period of time was A LOT. I read fan forums and when it got closer to the press period, I found every photo shoot and interview clip of the whole cast. Every day in Study hall, I had something about Twilight to share with the other girls in my class. I was their hook-up for all the details, but did it get them to invite me to sit with them at lunch? Nope.  As the pop-culture trends changed, so did my research topics. Twilight moved on to Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl, etc. and all of my efforts bore the same result.

Most images of the college experience perpetuated by film and television often show young people exploring their newfound freedom by throwing massive parties and drinking like they are in a John Mulaney bit. While hyperbolic and an overgeneralization of each person’s individual experience, there is a kernel of truth in the stereotype. It is human nature, upon no longer having the boundaries set by parents and other authority figures, to indulge and test the limits of how much one was missing out before. My binging and boundary pushing did not involve red plastic cups and dancing on tabletops; however, there was dancing involved. Now in my freshman year, all of a sudden I am on my own for the first time and I have over a decade of pop music to catch up on.

To this day, I am still the type that becomes singularly obsessed with one song before moving onto the next one. I still remember at one points finally understanding the pop culture reference of “hips don’t lie” by discovering the song of the same name. I remember the night when one of my roommates was at volleyball practice and the other was off with some boy, I had a dance party of one in my dorm room of mid-00s pop from Shakira to JLo to Beyoncé and more. Discovering these songs gave me so much joy and I had no outlet to share it with. Normal people had heard these songs for years and they had moved on to newer trends. Bringing up the new songs I had discovered, an R-rated movie I hadn’t seen before, or a TV show that I had just binged did not suddenly make me one of the cool kids. It had just pronounced my otherness. I was Steve Rogers gleefully stating that he understood a reference for once and the people I was hoping would include me were all Tony Stark in the back of the room rolling his eyes.

However, my binging continued because I had still created a brand for myself of being the pop culture obsessive that could talk with anyone about their favorite television show. The best friendship I have to this day began around this period of my life because an at-the-time acquaintance expressed interest in watching Arrow and I crafted a detailed PowerPoint presentation on how to best binge it and other shows I recommended.  I had caught up quickly to the present, but by that point I was deep in the golden age of television which continues to this day. At one point in my junior year of college, I noticed that I was watching TWENTY-FIVE television shows regularly. Was I also enormously depressed during that period of time and using such high levels of media consumption as distraction to my ever present aching loneliness? You betcha. However, that’s an essay topic for another time (specifically this September.) At this point, I was becoming numb to even enjoying the shows I was watching because it was just work I had given myself to bring something to table in order for people to like me.

One would think that after the years have gone by and I have grown into myself as an adult and developed fulfilling and wonderful friendships that this feeling would go away, but it doesn’t. In the words of one of my favorite songs from Smash, “I thought the race was over, but they just keep moving the line.” I may have grown so much in the past decade since I was researching Robsten photoshoots to show my peers in study hall, but nonetheless I still feel like that kid that’s late to the party. We are still in the “Age of Peak Television” with and endless array of things to watch and consume. Now that I’ve gone through the joyful experience of sharing a TV show, movie, or song that you love with your friends who also enjoy the thing, that desire to not always be late to the party in regards to pop culture has transformed into a fear of missing out on sharing something awesome with my friends.

For example, I’ve seen clips and gifsets here and there of Mike Schur comedies but I had other pop culture stuff on my plate when they started. I know from what I’ve sampled that I would absolutely love them, and some of my favorite people in the world watch these. However, I did the math and to catch up on all episode of Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place; I’d have to watch five hundred and seventy-nine episodes of television. That’s around three and half weeks straight for perspective. I wholeheartedly want to watch these shows but those kind of numbers are daunting.

However, that kind of statistic is comforting in a sense. There’s no realistic way to catch up at this point. The market is so saturated that there is physically no way to truly watch and enjoy all of the television and movies out there and still lead a healthy and abundant life. It has helped relieve some of the pressure. There is literally no way to see it all, so now there are so many more people late to the party. Earlier this week I came across a twitter thread of someone watching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes “Surprise” and “Innocence” for the first time, and the best part was all of the longtime fans who were delighted to be there for the person tweeting as she went through the emotional rollercoaster of those two episode. Those who had seen those episodes decades ago and had re-watched countless times since then got to see something they love through the eyes of someone experiencing it for the first time again. For once, social media has actually been helpful. People are so often experiencing television shows, in particular, out of sync from their actual air dates. No matter when you watch now there is always a community of fans ready to enjoy it with you. So while I had no one to share my delight of discovering “Hips Don’t Lie” seven years after it was first released, if I catch up to a new show or movie, I can share the joy of discovery with others through Twitter. I may still be late to the party, but now I have a community to enjoy the festivities with.